The implementation of neoliberal economic reforms with its resultant effects on rural agricultura... more The implementation of neoliberal economic reforms with its resultant effects on rural agricultural economies has facilitated the migration of young girls from northern to southern Ghana to seek for alternative livelihoods in the urban informal economy as head porters (Kayayei). Using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with 45 Kayayei in Makola and Agbogbloshie Markets, Accra, this study examines how migration as a livelihood strategy contributes to an improvement in the living conditions of young girls and their families. The paper also looks more closely into the pathways through which the livelihoods of these young female migrants may contribute to local economic development. The study highlights that Kayayei contribute to local economic development through market exchange and revenue generation, also there is significant perceived positive impact of head portering on standard of living of these young girls through improved access to income, health care and asset accumulation while their families benefit from remittances. The study concludes by advocating for the need to provide access to credit and skills training in enhancing the livelihood of Kayayei.
National non-governmental development organisations (NNGDOs) in Ghana are confronted with declin... more National non-governmental development organisations (NNGDOs) in Ghana are confronted with declining external donor funding, arising in part from the country’s promotion to a lower-middle income status, but also more complex changes in external funding modalities. This presents incentives for mobilisation of alternative domestic resources to ensure organisational survival. Drawing on 62 qualitative interviews with NNGDOs leaders, donor representatives and key informants, this article presents findings on how NNGDOs in Ghana are responding to this challenge. In particular, the article focuses on resource diversification. NNGDOs mobilised five main domestic resources: a) corporate philanthropy; b) individual donations and diaspora remittances; c) volunteer support; d) earned income through commercialisation and e) government funding. We conclude that while reduced external donor funding is an immediate threat to civil society space in Ghana, social innovations in domestic resources in response to it offer limited potentials for NNGDOs financial sustainability.
This article examines the impact of aid and its volatility on sectoral growth by relying on panel... more This article examines the impact of aid and its volatility on sectoral growth by relying on panel dataset of 37 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 1983-2014. Findings from the system-generalized methods of moments show that, while foreign aid significantly drives sectoral growth, aid volatility deteriorates sectoral value additions impacting heavily on non-tradable sectors with no apparent effect on the agricultural sector. The deleterious effect of aid volatility on sectoral value additions in SSA is weakened by a well-developed financial system with significant impact on the tradable sector. Evidently, development of domestic financial markets enhances aid effectiveness.
Female Genital Cutting or the euphemistic "female circumcision"" and its attendant practices are ... more Female Genital Cutting or the euphemistic "female circumcision"" and its attendant practices are a deep-rooted tradition with the ability to arouse emotional response. In view of this, the practice has been scrutinised internationally by both human rights organisations and health practitioners and has inspired rancorous debates between culture and human rights. The practice is currently considered as an issue of women"s health and human rights; what was considered as a local act is now a global problem recognising it as "violence against women" and therefore falls under the category of human rights violation (Shell-Duncan and Yale Herlund, 2000) and thus calling for global actions by both nations and organisations towards its eradication.
The Rio?20 summit of the United Nations in Brazil in 2012 committed governments to formulate a se... more The Rio?20 summit of the United Nations in Brazil in 2012 committed governments to formulate a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that would be integrated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) following its expiration in 2015. This decision has pushed sustainable development agenda into the limelight of development once again. Meanwhile, we note that the development agenda of many developing countries has been dominated by neoliberal orientation driven by market reforms, social inequality, and a move towards enhancing the economic competitiveness of the supply side of the economy. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between neoliberal economic agenda and sustainable development. We do so by examining how neoliberal policies of privatisation, trade liberalisation and reduction in governments spending stand to affect the attainment of sustainable development ideals and their implications on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The paper then suggests that relying solely on the mechanisms of the market in governing and allocating environmental resources is necessarily insufficient and problematic and therefore calls for a new approach-one which goes beyond just recognising the interdependency among social, environmental and economic goals and places issues of equity and addressing unfavourable power relations at the centre of interventions aimed at achieving the ideals of sustainable development.
The implementation of neoliberal economic reforms with its resultant effects on rural agricultura... more The implementation of neoliberal economic reforms with its resultant effects on rural agricultural economies has facilitated the migration of young girls from northern to southern Ghana to seek for alternative livelihoods in the urban informal economy as head porters (Kayayei). Using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with 45 Kayayei in Makola and Agbogbloshie Markets, Accra, this study examines how migration as a livelihood strategy contributes to an improvement in the living conditions of young girls and their families. The paper also looks more closely into the pathways through which the livelihoods of these young female migrants may contribute to local economic development. The study highlights that Kayayei contribute to local economic development through market exchange and revenue generation, also there is significant perceived positive impact of head portering on standard of living of these young girls through improved access to income, health care and asset accumulation while their families benefit from remittances. The study concludes by advocating for the need to provide access to credit and skills training in enhancing the livelihood of Kayayei.
National non-governmental development organisations (NNGDOs) in Ghana are confronted with declin... more National non-governmental development organisations (NNGDOs) in Ghana are confronted with declining external donor funding, arising in part from the country’s promotion to a lower-middle income status, but also more complex changes in external funding modalities. This presents incentives for mobilisation of alternative domestic resources to ensure organisational survival. Drawing on 62 qualitative interviews with NNGDOs leaders, donor representatives and key informants, this article presents findings on how NNGDOs in Ghana are responding to this challenge. In particular, the article focuses on resource diversification. NNGDOs mobilised five main domestic resources: a) corporate philanthropy; b) individual donations and diaspora remittances; c) volunteer support; d) earned income through commercialisation and e) government funding. We conclude that while reduced external donor funding is an immediate threat to civil society space in Ghana, social innovations in domestic resources in response to it offer limited potentials for NNGDOs financial sustainability.
This article examines the impact of aid and its volatility on sectoral growth by relying on panel... more This article examines the impact of aid and its volatility on sectoral growth by relying on panel dataset of 37 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 1983-2014. Findings from the system-generalized methods of moments show that, while foreign aid significantly drives sectoral growth, aid volatility deteriorates sectoral value additions impacting heavily on non-tradable sectors with no apparent effect on the agricultural sector. The deleterious effect of aid volatility on sectoral value additions in SSA is weakened by a well-developed financial system with significant impact on the tradable sector. Evidently, development of domestic financial markets enhances aid effectiveness.
Female Genital Cutting or the euphemistic "female circumcision"" and its attendant practices are ... more Female Genital Cutting or the euphemistic "female circumcision"" and its attendant practices are a deep-rooted tradition with the ability to arouse emotional response. In view of this, the practice has been scrutinised internationally by both human rights organisations and health practitioners and has inspired rancorous debates between culture and human rights. The practice is currently considered as an issue of women"s health and human rights; what was considered as a local act is now a global problem recognising it as "violence against women" and therefore falls under the category of human rights violation (Shell-Duncan and Yale Herlund, 2000) and thus calling for global actions by both nations and organisations towards its eradication.
The Rio?20 summit of the United Nations in Brazil in 2012 committed governments to formulate a se... more The Rio?20 summit of the United Nations in Brazil in 2012 committed governments to formulate a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that would be integrated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) following its expiration in 2015. This decision has pushed sustainable development agenda into the limelight of development once again. Meanwhile, we note that the development agenda of many developing countries has been dominated by neoliberal orientation driven by market reforms, social inequality, and a move towards enhancing the economic competitiveness of the supply side of the economy. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between neoliberal economic agenda and sustainable development. We do so by examining how neoliberal policies of privatisation, trade liberalisation and reduction in governments spending stand to affect the attainment of sustainable development ideals and their implications on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The paper then suggests that relying solely on the mechanisms of the market in governing and allocating environmental resources is necessarily insufficient and problematic and therefore calls for a new approach-one which goes beyond just recognising the interdependency among social, environmental and economic goals and places issues of equity and addressing unfavourable power relations at the centre of interventions aimed at achieving the ideals of sustainable development.
Uploads
Papers by Emmanuel Kumi